Mistakes
by CookiesN'Cream124
Summary: Some mistakes you can come back from... But some you end up regretting for the rest of your life.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a quick two or three shot that I couldn't get out of my head. Call it boredom, or following my muse, or whatever, here I am. I'm just writing this to get some ideas out of my head so I can clear some space for my Gallagher Girls Fic "Who I Am"… cuz I've kinda hit a wall with that one.**

** Now, I used to hate Luke with a passion… But sometime between the Luke/Andy breakup and now, my opinion of him has turned almost a complete 180. Almost. But only as Andy's friend. Never a boyfriend again... Ever. And I'm kinda pissed at Sam at the moment, so I'm kinda trashing him… a little… a lot. Enjoy!**

**This is NOT Andy/Luke!**

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To say Luke didn't like Swarek would be an understatement.

He hated that arrogant, stubborn, bastard with a passion. Because while most people don't realize what they have until it's gone, Swarek knows exactly what he has, and he lets it go. And Luke hates him for that.

There are people out there that are invisible. They could hop on the Subway naked and no one would notice until 10 minutes into the ride. But then there are people like Andy McNally, who electrify an entire room by simply walking through the door. That was her affect on him her first day, when he almost hit her with his car. He'd been having a crappy day, to say the least. He'd gotten stuck in traffic and was late for work. An hour into his current case, he spilled coffee all over his favorite shirt, and had to buy one off of a guy who was just going off shift and heading to the gym. He had just started chasing a lead on a double homicide when he was called to the scene of an OD. A case that could've been given to anyone else in the office, but instead, Boyco decided to task an extremely busy and short-tempered Luke with a simple case. Halfway there he realized he left his phone on his desk, and started grumbling to himself about why he should have stayed home today.

So imagine his initial reaction when a fresh paint copper ran right in front of his car. He hit the brakes and opened his mouth to shout at the idiotic wanna-be-hero of a rookie, but then she turned towards his car and he shut his mouth. She was wide-eyed and overwhelmed, just trying to do things right, and he flashed back to a time when he was exactly the same. So instead he flashed his badge at the rookie when she told him to turn the car around, and watched her from his side mirrors long after she resumed her chase. His crappy day became a memory, and he faced his new case with the determination and open mind that made him the top-notch detective he was today.

That's who McNally is. She's a beautiful woman who can turn anyone's day around. Her laugh lifts the spirits of everyone around her. She leaves a mark on everyone who meets her, and those lucky enough to call themselves her friends? They strive to be more like her every day. She bears with her a calm logic, and a strong will. She's open to suggestions, but when she sets her mind, she doesn't give up until someone gives her a damn good reason. And sometimes that's not even enough. She's selfless and giving, and through everything she's seen and done for this exhausting job, she still has faith in this goodness inside of people that sometimes just needs to be coaxed out of it's tough exterior. She can relate to anyone, because she done things she's not proud of, and she's gone through things that some people never come back from. But she did. And she came out on top.

Luke never got the chance to tell her any of this. Because before he got the chance to tell her just how much he loved her, he fucked it up… royally.

And the thing about Andy, she doesn't give second chances out like they're sticks of gum. She's been hurt too many times for that. But it's taken Luke this long to realize, that even though it didn't turn out how he wanted it to, even though he still loves her with all that he is, and even though he and Andy will never be… She's the best thing that's ever happened to him. And like Dr Seuss said, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." And until Luke witnessed Sam's stupidity, he was smiling. Someday he'll move on, and find someone who measures up to Andy just enough to catch his attention, someone who can deal with his dedication to his job, but for now, he just wants to hit Swarek for making the same mistake he did. Because he knows how much it costs.

Now imagine what you would say to a man you absolutely hate, a man that is making the biggest mistake of his life, a man who is so god damn self-righteous that he won't realize it till it's too late. A man that Andy McNally loves like she'll never love again. Luke doesn't want too, but he owes it to Andy to try and knock some sense into Sam, figuratively speaking, although he wishes it was physically.

So he sits down on the bar stool next to Sam. Orders a beer, and then buys Swarek a shot of Bourbon. He drinks his own shot and turns towards Sam. "You're an idiot. And if you don't figure that out soon, you'll lose Andy for good." With nothing else to say, he grabs his beer and stands from the stool, looking down at Sam, and turns away. With one last thought, he tosses over his shoulder, "Take it from me." Sam has a sudden fascination with the label of his beer bottle. But what neither man sees is one Andy McNally, standing on the other side of the bar, listening to the conversation taking place. And as Luke goes to walk out the back door, she puts her hand on his shoulder.

"Can we talk outside?" She looks up at the tall detective.

"Yeah, sure," he holds open the door and lets her walk through first. When he looks back towards Sam, he sees the brooding cop watch Andy walk away and Sam shoots the detective a look that could kill. He turns around and lets the door shut behind him.

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**Review! Let me know what you think! Ask questions! I'm writing the next chapter now, and it should be up tomorrow.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Second Chapter! Thank you for all the faves and reviews! This is the best response I've ever gotten off of a single chapter, so let's see if we can keep it rolling with chapter 2! Also... I have a question for you at the end of the chapter...**

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Andy spins around and faces Luke about 20 feet from the door. "Why did you say that to him?"

"Would you rather I hadn't?" Luke asks her.

"No… I mean, he kinda deserved it, but I thought you hated me. So I just don't know why you'd help me." She looks down at her feet.

"What made you think I hated you?"

"That day that Gail was missing, you defended me when I wanted to help, but then when I thanked you, you kinda just blew me off. And after we broke up, you transferred and sold the house."

"I've never hated you… I hated myself." Luke whispered. Andy's eyes shot up.

"Why?"

"Because I didn't realize what I had, and I was an idiot and threw it away. I still love you Andy, and I think I always will." Andy started to speak. "No, let me finish. I'm not going to ask you for another chance, because I know I'll never get one. That part of our lives is over, and we have to move on. I transferred and sold the house because I couldn't go to work and see you every day, and every time I stepped in that damn kitchen all I saw was you dancing around in your bra while you made breakfast." He and Andy both smile.

"That day I came back to help find Gail, I was rude to you because it was the first time I'd seen you since I left, and it kind of hit me in the face that I really did throw it away. I wanted to blame you, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. You know, we were good together till it all went to hell."

"We were. But some things just aren't meant to be. Thank you for what you said in there." She smiled up at him. "But I'm okay. I've come to terms with it, and I'm ready to keep moving and stop getting hung up with the past."

"Well, there was another reason I talked to him. I've been given my own task force and I get to choose my team. Best recommended you. You'll be getting a call for an official meeting, but I chose you. It will be up to you to accept or decline. But you don't have to choose now."

"Oh my God! Thank you! Thank you! Thank You!" Andy jumps on Luke to give him a hug, and he holds her up.

Neither of them heard the back door open, and neither of them saw Sam step outside in time to witness Andy's excitement. He clenches his fists as Luke puts Andy's feet on the ground and she gives him a peck on the cheek.

Luke smiles, enjoying this silly side of Andy, and says, "I'm glad we're still friends."

Andy smiles back, "Me too."

Luke kisses her forehead, and starts walking away. "Watch for that call!" he spins around and calls out while walking backwards. He continues walking towards his car, and after starting the engine, he drives out of the parking lot.

Meanwhile, Sam, hidden in the shadows of the overhang from the roof, continues clenching his fists, hard enough to cut into his skin with his nails. He steps into the light as Andy walks back to The Penny with a smile on her face. She gasps and jumps back when she sees him, and breathes a sigh of relief when she sees it's just Sam and not some kidnapper.

"Jesus, Sam! I thought you were a killer or something!" She puts a hand on her chest. "What are you doing out here anyway?"

"How can you go back to him? He cheated on you!" Sam is practically seething.

"Well, you lied to me, so you both rank pretty high in the douche department."

"I never lied to you." Sam steps towards her.

"Really?" Andy laughs. "I seem to remember someone telling me that they would talk it through if things went South. I also remember that person saying I wouldn't get rid of them without a fight. But one thing I don't remember, Sam, is a fight. I only remember crying in an alley."

"I didn't want to hurt you." He said.

"Oh, so breaking up with me was meant to keep me from hurting. You make so much sense! For the record Sam, you hurt me worse than Luke ever did." With that, she turned away to go back in the bar, and for the 3rd time that day, Sam had no idea what to say.

"Oh, and Sam? Not that you have the right to know or anything, but I'm not back with Luke. We're friends. And my _friend_ just offered me a job." She paused at the door and called towards him.

"What do you mean? You have a job." Sam was confused.

"Luke was given a command position of a new drug task force. He gets to pick his team, and he picked me. I accepted." She looked at him.

"You can't take that job." Sam started walking towards Andy.

"Why not Sam? Why can't I leave 15?" She crosses her arms and ask him.

"Because you're my partner." Sam stutters out.

"No, Sam, I _was_ your partner. I can't work with you anymore. You once told me to always have my partners back. But the only time you back me up is when it's convenient for you. If Luke hadn't listened to me about those Storage Lockers, I'd be dead. I can't work with someone, or forgive someone, who breaks his promises. You can think that I have to stay at 15 because you're there all you want, but you called it off. You don't have me anymore." Andy walked through the door and left Sam standing in the rain that was starting to fall.

And for the fourth time that day, someone had finally put that arrogant bastard in his place.

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**Okay, here's the question... There was a time where I would've slapped myself for entertaining this idea for even a split second... But how would you all feel if I made this a Luke/Andy fic? When it comes to the show, I am McSwarek all the way, but for this particular fic, I want to make Sam suffer. I seriously hate him like no other at this particular time. And I's kind of like to sail in the uncharted waters, so to speak, of this RB section. namely, Andy/Luke.  
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**So tell me in a review. Would you like to see Sam/Andy or Andy/Luke. It's up to you. Because I have ideas for both sides of the question and can write it either way.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

_**A quick reply to an Anonymous review from "Guest"—**_

_**I don't agree with that. On the contrary, I think as a writer, you have to explore recent actions and call them out on their mistakes. In Fanfiction, our job is to say what goes unsaid. I'm not trying to forego Sam's character as a whole. But I've always been taught the past is the past and the present is all we have. Why is that any different in writing? It doesn't matter that Sam is normally a great guy, because it isn't normal anymore. All we have right now is Sam being a jerk and making a huge mistake. And that's what I'm going to write.**_

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**Let me just say it. I love you guys like no other… All of your reviews are so nice and I can't thank you enough. I originally thought this would be a three-shot at most, but I have more to write than can be covered in three chapters. I'm just gonna see where it goes.**

**And after an OVERWHELMING response to my question in reviews… This will not be Andy/Luke… but it might not be Sam/Andy either… hmmmm… :)**

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Andy had never asked anything of him. She'd never pressured him to be the perfect boyfriend. She knew when to push, and she knew when to back off. She knew when to talk, and she knew when to listen. She knew him, period. The only thing she ever asked of him was to trust in her ability as an officer, and to not push her away if things got tough. He failed on both counts, and now it really is too late…

She still loved him. Perhaps she always will. All she wanted was for him to fight, and she thought he would… but the Sam she knew died with his best friend. There was nothing else for her to do. She gave him time and space… It's been a month since the breakup, and she hasn't pushed it. Not once. Being around Sam, it used to make her heart flutter and her nerves go haywire. She would get nervous, and start rambling, but these days, she just doesn't know what to say…

Luke is trying to help them. He thinks that maybe if Sam is faced with Andy leaving 15, he might come around. He won't see her every day. He won't be able to ask her friends how she is. He won't get to hear her laugh when Dov tells a joke. Luke wants her on his team, he really does. He knows how good of a cop she is. She has to be, to get recommended to a task force with three years on the job, over people who've been here for 15. But he wants her to say no. Because Sam is it for her. Anyone with half a brain can see that. This is Sam's last chance… If he screws it up, there's no going back. Luke just wants to see Andy happy…

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It's no secret to the cops at 15 that Sam became an entirely different person after Andy McNally barged into his life. The only thing that remained of the "Sammy" Oliver and Jerry had known since the academy was the nickname. 'Sammy' was a careless risk taker. He had nothing to lose and he let it be known by taking the undercover jobs that no one else would take. Anyone else would've been dead by now, but Sammy was quick on his feet and knew how to defuse nearly any situation. He was good, and he knew it. But Sam Swarek was a cop. He taught the newbie's what they needed to know, and his confidence from his undercover experience transferred over to the rookies he rode with. It was a good change though. And you'll never catch anyone saying differently. For the first time in a long time Sam talked to his sister on a regular basis, and he hung out with his friends. They had McNally to thank for that.

Oliver had always been a beat-around-the-bush kind of a guy. He implied things rather than saying them outright. It was easier that way. And it pissed off a lot less people. But when it came to the things that mattered, if you made the wrong choice, he was the first person to tell you. And when he got angry, you knew it. So Sam discovered.

Andy, Sam, Oliver, Luke, and the rest of the rookies all had the weekend off. But the 15 Division they came back to Monday morning was an entirely new Police Station.

It started normally. They walked into the locker rooms laughing and joking, Oliver had his donut, Dov had his stories about the weekend, Gail made fun of him and Andy, Chris, and Nick laughed at them all. But when they walked into parade, they were met with 6 new faces. A new batch of rookie's and Jerry's replacement. They looked at each other with knowing glances and took their normal seats when Frank entered the room. (Gail and Andy had to kick rookies out of their chairs. Stupid noobs.)

"Lovely officers of 15," Frank started out. Gail rolled her eyes… she just wasn't in the mood.

"Today is a big day. Lots of big news, and big changes. Let me introduce Bruce Darring to you all. He'll be our new body in the D's office." Commence round of courtesy clapping… yatta yatta yatta.

"Speaking of new bodies… McNally, Peck, Diaz, Epstein, Collins. Congratulations. You are no longer 15's rookies. When you get off shift tonight, you will find that Noelle, Luke, and I took the liberty of breaking into your lockers." A round of questions flew at him.

"Let me finish, thank you. You will find your brand new short sleeve uniform shirts. No more long sleeves in heat waves." The five cheered.

"As for the new rookies, welcome to 15, McMillion, Chamber, Bowan, Murdock, and Nagel. My only words for you are listen to your TO's and don't screw up. It's too much paperwork."

"Amen!" Oliver, of course.

"And my final tidbit of news… Tomorrow will be McNally's last day as a beat cop. She has been selected for Callaghan's drug task force and accepted the position. She starts Wednesday. We'll miss you McNally." The room started clapping, and Her friends and the D's all erupted into song, singing a female version of "For he's a jolly good fellow." There was one person in the back of the room, however, who found an intense fascination with the floor. Oliver looked over at him and his goofy smile turned into a frown. The song ended and Best sent them on their separate ways.

Andy had requested to ride with Nick for her last two days, so Sam was left with Oliver.

"So what are you gonna do about this Sammy?" Oliver asked once they had driven around for an hour.

"Nothing. There's nothing I can do." Sam sighed.

"How would you know? You haven't exactly been a man of action this last month. You let her go, and then you undermined her as a police officer, you yelled at her when she hugged Luke, all you've done is piss her off, and frankly, she has no reason to take you back." Oliver started in on him.

"If this is supposed to be a pep talk, you suck at it." Sam cut in.

"Shut up." Oliver snapped. "For the first time in your life, you were actually happy. Really and truly happy, and it's because of that woman. You are a jackass Sam, a total jackass, because you don't even realize that."

"I do realize that!" Sam shouted.

"Then do something about it." Oliver spoke in a deadly quiet voice. "Quit acting like an idiot because you think you have an excuse."

"I don't need you to tell me how to live my life. At least I was the one who said goodbye instead of getting kicked out by my wife." Sam sneered at Oliver.

"That's enough. I'm sick of this shit." Oliver suddenly braked the car and nearly did a wheelie when he pulled into a back alley. He screeched to a stop and got out of the car. Sam's head followed him around the front of the car, and he couldn't help but flinch back at the force Ollie used to yank open the door. A pair of hands grabbed him around the collar and yanked him outside. He found himself spinning around until his back connected with a brick wall.

"I don't know where you get off. Jerry and I put up with this crap when you were with guns and gangs, because we didn't see you enough to truly do anything about it. But then that rookie blew your cover and you came back to 15, and for the first time in years, we had our friend back. For once in your life you acted like an adult and started caring about the people around you. You've always had my back Sam… you were the best man at my wedding, and were gonna be the same at Jerry's. But I don't even know who you are anymore. And if I can't see my friend down there, who do you think Andy sees?" Oliver was seething.

"Jerry died, Sam. Our best friend died. Nothing will change that. But quit acting like the world has to bow down at your feet because you're hurting. We are ALL hurting, dammit. More than you know, because you can't look beyond your own nose. You knew what you were signing up for. Everyone knows what they signed up for when they graduate the academy. You thought it wouldn't happen to us, and it did, and now you think you have the right to step all over everybody in your path, when we're still trying to stand up ourselves. Keep pushing everyone away Sam, see who you have left."

"If you want to go back to who you were before Andy McNally came into your life, go ahead. Go get yourself killed in a drug bust, because we definitely need to mourn another loss. What do you think Jerry would say? You don't even have to think hard, Sam, because you already know. 'Don't be stupid Sammy, go after her.' That's exactly what he would say. You have to move on Sam. You have to. Nothing will bring him back, so you have to keep moving. In honor of him. _For_ him. If you can't do that… I suggest you get a different job, because you aren't cut out for this one." Oliver shoved him one more time before releasing his hold on Sam's collar, and walked away towards the cruiser.

"And as for Zoe, I'm living with them again, and we're better than ever. Thanks for asking." Oliver looked at Sammy over the car as he pulled open the driver's door. Sam flinched as the sound of the door slamming rang in his ears.

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**So I tried to convey the easy-going, humorous side of 15… 'tried' being the operative word. Whether I succeeded is up to you.**

**Also, I've gotten a couple of reviews that pointed out how Sam seemed a like a lot more of a jackass in this story than he does in the show. I didn't really have that planned, but I guess if my best friend died, I would hate the world until someone beat my ass back into shape, so I'm sticking with it.**

**Thank you again for all the reviews and follows! I'm so ecstatic at the response to this story, and I wasn't even planning on posting it originally! It's crazy…**

**Also, I have to apologize for this chapter... I wrote this after I got home from school, and on top of it being a Monday, The pair of jeans I wore to school had a hole in the butt (still don't know how it happened), and I went up to the white board to do a problem, and everyone saw my tidy whities... except my tidy whities were neon pink...  
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**And then, during my Foods class, my stupid partner squirted lemon juice in my eye (an accident, so he says...), which is excruciatingly painful, by the way. I actually had to go use one of the science rooms' eye wash stations... in front of a class of seniors.  
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**And if that wasn't enough, I zoned out during Chemistry class because I was so tired, and she gave us a pop quiz at the end. I failed it.  
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**If you haven't gathered by now, I'm out for blood. Sam gets no mercy today.  
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	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys!**

**I always knew my story was not realistic. It's a piece of fiction that I'm enjoying writing and most of you seem to enjoy reading.**

**And that hasn't changed. However, in light of Thursday's episode and the promos for next week's (And if you haven't yet, go to YouTube and type in Rookie Blue 3x13 Global. It's blurry, but You. Will. Scream.) I'm gonna kick this story into high gear.**

**The reason I wrote this in the first place is after what broke them apart, I really didn't think the writers would come up with a decent way to bring them back together by the finale. But DAMN IT it's gonna be good! (If you can't already tell, I'm trying my hardest not to spoil it for you if you haven't seen the promos.)**

**I have a 3 day weekend, and I can assure you I'm gonna be writing like crazy. Because I feel like it has to be done by Thursday. And it will be. I have big chucks of chapters 5 and 6 written, (about 1600 words, currently) so all I have left to do is fill in the gaps with those two, and then write the last two chapters.**

**So look out for them this weekend! I'd like to have 5 and 6 up by tomorrow.**

**Have a nice Labor Day!**

**Becca :)**

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It wasn't until she was gone that 15 realized how much it needed Andy McNally. She was the glue. The kind that dried clear, so no one could see it until it wasn't there anymore and everything fell apart.

But they did see it. Because after she left, 15 Division went to hell.

Oliver's advice to Sam went unheeded, and instead he filed the necessary paperwork to request that he ride alone permanently. And within the first two weeks, two of the rookies were dismissed for witnessing a kid buying drugs and letting him go. Oliver and Sam stopped talking, and Oliver began the process of becoming a staff sergeant, fueled by the fact that he'd lost both of his best friends within the last month. And with McNally gone, he had nothing left for him at 15.

Andy, on the other hand, was in love with her new job. It challenged her to be the best she could be, and in striving for that, she became one of the best coppers her superiors had ever seen. She and Luke became partners on the job, and of the case files that were laid on their desks, the pair had a 94% closure rate.

There were four others on the team, Jack Nolan, Jim Murray, Louis O'Donnell, and Diana Atwell, all of which Andy became fast friends with. Sometimes after shift, like tonight, she brought them to the Penny to spend a night with her friends at 15, and they all took to each other liked they'd known each other for years.

Andy reveled in these visits to the Penny, back in her old territory, near all the people she'd worked next to for years, but at the same time she dreaded them, because of the silent figure at the far end of the bar, sitting in the shadows. She snuck glances at the figure, hunched over his tumbler of scotch, throughout the night, feeling a twinge of regret every time she looked over. Maybe she was the one who failed him. He needed support and she just left. _That's Andy McNally for ya_, she thought. Every time she looks over, she tells herself it's the last time, that after this one last peek, she's going to turn her head around and enjoy the night. But she's just kidding herself. For so long, they had been like two magnets. Pulled together, and then bounced back apart when something flipped over. The difference is this time, they were bounced too far apart, and they just can't pull themselves back together.

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Sam hides in the corner of the bar, where no one generally cares to look. But when Andy and her entourage show up, he feels her gaze throughout the night. It makes his spine tingle, remembering the 2 years they spent tiptoeing around each other, saying everything, yet nothing at all, as they snuck glances when they didn't thought the other was looking. It's still hard for him to believe that after everything they went through, and everything they came back from, their relationship is just stocked away like an old photograph. Nothing but a memory.

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Sam stands from his bar stool, sticking a few bills underneath his glass for the bartender, and picks up his coat. He feels Andy's gaze on him as he walks towards the door, but like every other night, she says nothing. And he does the same. Except this time, she doesn't do nothing.

Andy quickly excuses herself and hurries to catch Sam before he gets to his truck. She follows him out the door and starts jogging towards him.

"Sam!" she calls out.

Sam thinks he's lost it. After everything that happened, Andy wouldn't be calling out to him, so he thinks he's dreaming, or hallucinating, or some sick combination of the two. He only had one drink though, so he can't be drunk, and he couldn't have passed out. So when he hears his name again, he realizes he isn't dreaming, she's _actually_ yelling for him. He stops in his tracks and turns towards her. Her hair is flowing behind her, and for a minute, he forgets about Jerry and the break-up, and braces himself, preparing for Andy to launch herself in his arms. But she starts to slow down, and walks several steps to stop a few feet in front of him, and Sam snaps back to reality.

"Hi." She says, slightly breathless.

"Hi." He replies. Their greetings are followed by an awkward silence, with neither knowing what to say.

"Umm… So how are you?" She finally asks him.

He snorts, "You chased me out here to ask me how I am?"

"Well, I don't really know why I followed you out here… I'm just trying to make this a little less awkward, you know? You always did say I was allergic to silence. And now I'm rambling." She looks down.

"I'm okay. It's still kinda hard you know? I still think about him a lot." He answers her question.

"We all do." She whispers.

He nods. "How are you? You like your new job?"

"I'm doing okay." She nods. "And I love my job. It's a lot more challenging, and some of the things we see…" She trails off.

"I seem to be good at it, though. And we help a lot of people. It kind of makes it all worthwhile." She looks up at the sky.

"What are you looking at?" He cranes his neck, looking around trying to find what she's fixated on.

"Nothing… I'm just thinking. Do you ever wonder if he's watching over us?"

"Every single day." He fixates his eyes on the sky and they stand in a comfortable silence for a few minutes.

"What do you think he would say?"

Sam looks down now, because he knows exactly what Jerry would be telling him right now. _Get the girl Sammy, get the girl. Quit being so damn stubborn and stupid. Sammy and stupid don't mix, so cut it out._ But he doesn't let McNally know this. "Oh, he'd probably be telling everyone he was gonna clean up at poker night next week." He smiles, but he doesn't miss the look Andy sends towards him

"Speaking of Poker night, how's Oliver doing? I haven't seen him around the Penny for weeks."

"Oh, Uhh… he's a Staff Sergeant at 32nd now." The smile fades from his face, and is replaced with the blank expression he's worn for the last 2 months.

"He's a White Shirt? I never thought I'd see that day." She laughs. "Not that he wasn't capable, he's just always hated all things management."

"Yeah, I guess."

"So why'd he go to 32nd? Why didn't he just become a Supervisor at 15?"

"I don't really know. He and I… We don't really talk anymore." Sam shifted his weight back and forth.

"What? You guys are best friends, practically inseparable. What happened?" She looks concerned.

"We just had a disagreement." He says. "It's not a big deal."

Andy snorts. "It had to have been some disagreement." she retorts.

"Look, I'm tired and I work the early shift, so I really should get going." He cops out of the discussion that he knew was coming.

"Yeah, sure." She says. Sam turns around and continues the walk to his truck.

"Hey Sam!"

"Yeah?"

"You know exactly what Jerry would be saying right now… And he wouldn't be talking about Poker Night." She calls towards him. "Think about that." She turns around and walks back towards the bar.

Sam stares down at his hand as he twirls his keys in around his finger a couple of times. He looks towards the sky before he gets in his truck.

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Review!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 up! And chapter 6 is done too! I'm on just a wee bit of a roll. **

**I hope you enjoy!**

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Oliver thought this was a good idea. He'd get a fresh start, getting away from 15 and Sam's attitude; He'd work regular hours in a significantly less dangerous job, making his wife and kids extremely happy; and he wouldn't have to file as much paperwork. Making him a very happy man. He couldn't have been more wrong.

Little did he know, 32nd division was the division that got stuck with all "sub-pars".

32 was stuck in a shared patrol area, so if any big investigations were initialized, neighboring 10th division took it over. So naturally, upper management decided to exile all the idiots, (ahem, "struggling officers"), to 32. And in the process, exiling poor Oliver to mounds of paperwork.

Oliver rummaged through his desk, trying to find the stack of incident reports he had to have filed by noon today, giving him less than half an hour. It seemed like every single day one of his idiots fired his weapon in the clearing chamber, or misfiled a report, or forgot to do their paperwork altogether. And for every single mistake they made, Oliver had to fill out a report. He has lots of things to take care of today, and damn it, he still can't find those reports, so when he hears a knock on his office door, he is a little less than courteous.

"What!" He yells.

A head of familiar brown hair peeks through the door. "Long day?" She asks.

"Sweet Jesus, McNally, please tell me you're transferring here. I just need _one_ competent police officer. Just _one_, that's all I ask"

She laughs."Sorry, Oliver, but no. I like my job too much. But I did bring lunch." She holds up a paper bag with the emblem of his favorite burger joint on the side, and he notices the drink tray in her hand for the first time. She sets the bag on his desk, and his stomach growls.

"Very very tempting, but I can't find my stack of incident reports, and I have to have them filed in," He pauses and looks at his watch. "about 20 minutes."

"You mean this stack of incident reports?" She holds up a stack of papers she picked up from the top of his file cabinet.

"Yes!"

"I'll make you a deal. I'll file these for you, and all you have to do is eat and talk."

"You know me McNally, give me my Root Beer." She smiles and hands him one of the cups.

She stands in front of the file cabinet, and starts putting the papers in the correct folders. "Jeez, is this an entire month of reports?"

"Nope" Oliver talks through a mouthful of burger, "That's just this week's."

"I am so sorry."

"Yep. These cops are imbeciles. Not like you and me." Oliver takes a drink of his pop. "How are you liking your new job?"

"I love it. It's hard sometimes… But it's challenging, and the people at 27 don't have any preconceived notions about me, you know? I'm not chasing my father's shadow anymore. And I seem to be good at it. Luke and I have helped a lot of people, and it makes it all worth it."

"So you two are partners now?"

"Yeah. There are four others on the team, but we work in pairs most of the time."

"I'm glad you're happy McNally." Oliver says, "But I know you didn't come here just to tell me about your job. What did you want to talk about?"

"Sam."

"I shoulda known." Oliver shakes his head. "I don't know what to tell you, he just can't move on."

"Start with what happened between you two." She looks over at him, and then resumes her filing job.

"It was the day Best announced your new assignment. I was trying to tell him to talk to you about it, and he got on the defensive, and he said some nasty stuff… Like, if it hadn't been Sam, I would have beaten the crap out of him, so instead I dragged him out of the squad and shoved him against the wall and gave him a good 'tongue lashing' as my father would've called it. Needless to say, I really told him off, and then the day you left he filed paperwork so he could ride alone permanently. I was promoted the week after that." Oliver told her what it was that Sam had said that set him off.

By now, Andy had finished filing the reports, and had taken a seat in one of the chairs in front of Oliver's desk.

"I can't believe he said that to you."

"Neither could I. How'd you find out about me coming over here?"

"I talked to him last night, at the Penny."

"So that's why you're suddenly asking about him."

"Yeah." She looks at her hands in her lap.

"How was he?"

"He seemed okay. I mean, he's still distant and not interacting with people which is worrying me, but he didn't seem so… broken. He told me he thinks about Jerry everyday."

"We all do." Oliver says solemnly

"That's exactly what I told him. And then I asked if he wondered if Jerry watched over us."

"I know he does. I can feel it."

"I feel it too, and I know Traci does. There is no way she'd still be in that detective rotation if she didn't. Once I started asking Sam about what happened between you and him, he kinda copped out and made an excuse to get home. But I have a feeling he opened up to me more than he has to anyone since Jerry's death."

"I know he did. Whether he wants to admit it or not, he still loves you. You bring out a side of him that no one else can. I really hope he realizes that."

"Thanks." She smiles. "You know, I tried to hate him after he broke up with me. He broke a promise, and I was so angry and heartbroken, that I couldn't even talk to him for 2 weeks, but somewhere between then and now, I've realized that I could never hate him. I'd give anything to go back for just one day, so I could remember how he used to be. I'd take him back in a heartbeat if he even showed a glimpse of that person."

"You and me both, Andy, you and me both."

Andy looks down at her watch and jumps up from her chair. "Shit!"

"Woah, Mcnally! Someone has a potty mouth." Andy stick her tongue out at him.

"I'm gonna be late, I have to go. It was nice talking Ollie."

"Yeah it was, we'll do it again sometime." Oliver says. Andy nods in agreement.

"Hey, McNally?" Oliver asks as she pulls the door open.

"Yeah?"

"Don't be a stranger." Andy smiles at him.

"Never again."

"Good." Ollie whispers after she leaves, "Good."

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**Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey! So I am trying really really hard to get this done by Thursday, but I might not be able to. Such is life. We'll just have to let whatever happens happen. :)**

**Enjoy**!

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It was a week since Andy had stopped Sam in the parking lot, and he hadn't seen her since. A part of him was starving to hear just a small laugh from her lips, or hear her and Traci start singing on the nights of heavy drinking they allowed themselves every once in a while. But another part of him was glad she didn't show up. He didn't want to get cornered in the parking lot again, and have her push him to explain the Oliver situation. And he didn't want her to see him start increasing his intake from one scotch to two. And then go from 2 scotches to a few shots of vodka. He didn't want the questions and the expected explanations. He just wanted to drown himself in a drunken stupor.

Sam was never gladder for his ride-alone status than he was today. In all honesty, he should've stayed home. His head was pounding from his hangover, and he just couldn't deal with people today. He passed off all the calls to other squads in the area, aiming to try and avoid pissing anyone off with his attitude today, and for the most part, it worked. But sometime in the afternoon he was driving through downtown when a call came over the radio for an officer down seven blocks away. All other units came back that they were 15 minutes away, or unable to respond, there was even a cruiser stuck in traffic. Sam sighed and radioed dispatch.

"Show 1509 en route, ETA 5 minutes."

He flipped the lights and switched on the siren and made u-turn towards the location. He pulls up to the crime scene tape that's already been wrapped around, climbs out of the car, and walks towards a rookie from 32.

"What happened?" Sam looks over the chaos in front of him. Three ambulances were already on scene.

"I'm not totally sure, Sir. All I know is that that special drug task force out of 27 was making a bust and shots were fired. A female officer was hit."

"Wait, Callaghan's task force?" Sam snaps his head towards the rook.

"That's the one, Sir. You know them?" The rookies question went unanswered. Sam was already gone.

He almost runs towards the ambulances, scanning the back of each of them, and at the last one, he finds who he's looking for. He sees Callaghan standing next to Andy, who's sitting on the back of the bus, holding her shirt up. What he can see of her stomach is a mottled purplish-blue, and she's wincing painfully as the paramedic wraps her ribs.

"What the hell happened?" Sam walks up towards the two, directing his question towards Luke. "Where were you when she got shot?"

"He was tied up with his own perp, Sam. We did everything by the book, and they all had my back. Sometimes things go wrong."

"They obviously didn't have your back if you got shot." He retorts.

"Cops get shot. It's an occupational hazard. I know for a fact you've taken a few bullets in the vest yourself."

"That's different! I was an undercover operative!"

"How is that so different? I am second in command of an elite drug task force, Sam. Neither of those exactly scream 'Safe'." Andy stands up from the ambulance platform and starts to walk away. Sam sticks his hand out and grabs her arm, turning her back towards him.

"God, Sam! Stop!" Andy yanks her arm out of Sam's grasp and looks at him with a fire in her eyes.

"I don't know what your problem is! I got shot, Sam, okay? I didn't die, I got shot. I have a big ass bruise and a cracked rib, which isn't really being helped by you yanking me around!" She rubs her side.

"I told you not to take this job, and this is why!" He stabs his finger at her. "You can't handle it."

The group of onlookers stands with mouths agape and eyes wide. A collective gasp ripples through the crowd when a fist flies and Sam hits the ground. Andy stands over him gasping at the discomfort from her rib, but fuming with anger. She bends down and returns the finger point.

"I don't know what your problem is, but you need to deal with it before you drag everyone down with you." She walks away to her car and drives away.

A hand appears in Sam's line of sight, and he grasps it with his own. The body attached to it catches him by surprise.

"Callaghan."

"I know today isn't easy for you. Trust me," Luke speaks in hushed tones. "But I did this to help you, you know. I figured that if you thought Andy was transferring to a different department, you'd realize how much you _need _to see her everyday and see for yourself that she's okay. You _need_ to be there as back up if she needs it. I know you're still hurting, but you need to realize that Andy is too. She doesn't deserve the things you've said to her. She's doing everything she can to move on and be there for Traci, and even you, and she's gotten nothing in return. You know who she is and you know that she has a Lion's heart. But if you don't stop taking advantage of that, she'll break, and she'll never be the same again." Luke shakes his head and walks away.

* * *

Andy drives around the city for an hour before the throbbing in her side becomes unbearable. She drives to her apartment and goes inside, pulling an ice pack out of the freezer before she collapses on the couch. She turns on her phone and sees missed calls and texts from her team and sighs before pressing speed dial three. Luke picks up on the second ring.

"Andy, where are you?"

"I'm at home. Can I take the rest of the day off? My ribs kill. I'll give you my statement tomorrow."

"That's fine. We were all worried after you drove off and didn't answer."

"I needed to get out of there."

"I'm sure. Get some rest. Call me if you need anything," Luke offers.

"I will. Thanks Luke."

"No problem, Andy."

Andy looks at her watch and gets up off the couch. She grabs her keys again and gets back in her car, keeping the ice pack on her ribs, and pulls out of the driveway. She ends up outside of 10th Division, and flashes her badge at the stupid rookie working the desk.

"I'm here to see Oliver Shaw."

"Umm… Okay. I mean Yes, Ma'am."

Andy walks up the stairs to Oliver's office and walks through the door without knocking.

"Hey, McNally! Change your mind about transferring?" Oliver looks up from his desk with a smile, which fades when he sees the ice pack. "What happened?"

"I got shot."

"Explain."

"We were making a drug bust and the dealer pulled a gun. Luke was tied up with the buyer, so I had to talk him down, but some lady screamed and the guy spooked and pulled the trigger. I took it in the vest."

"Jeez, Andy… we responded to that shooting. If I had known it was you I would've gone out there myself. You okay?"

"Cracked rib. I'll be fine. But that's not what I'm here to talk about. I'm here about Sam." She takes a seat in front of Oliver.

"What did he do?"

"He stormed up to me while the paramedic was taping my ribs and he started yelling at me and Luke, and when I walked away he grabbed me a spun me around. He told me I couldn't handle the job, and I punched him. I don't know what his problem is."

"Andy, today is September 2nd."

"So?"

"Andy, it's Jerry's birthday."

* * *

**Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**So I almost made my deadline... but it's okay. There is one more chapter after this, and then it'll be done. Over. Finito. I am one chapter away from actually completing one of my multi-chapter stories. It's a big deal. This chapter is nearly twice the length of previous one's, so this one is for the people who requested longer chapters. Enjoy!**

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Sam tried his best to ignore the incessant knocking at his front door and waste himself in his beer, but whoever was out there decided to stay there until their pounding was answered. So he walks over and opens the door, expecting to see some girl scouts selling cookies, or boy scouts selling popcorn, but instead he sees a tall brunette with her hair wrapped up in a ponytail and dark circles under her eyes. She got shot, after all, and that kind of paperwork is brutal, so he isn't surprised by the circles. What does surprise him, however, is when that brunette steps forward and pushes his door all the way open as she walks into his house.

"Hello to you, too," Sam says to himself, and shuts the door. He follows McNally into the living room and finds her staring out the window at the street in front of the house.

"Talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Bullshit, Sam." She spins around to face him. He's seen that look before, and he knows she isn't leaving until she gets what she wants. "I don't know what's wrong with you. I mean, _today_ I can understand, but you've turned your back on your best friend for the last 2 months. You treat him like a stranger and you treat me like shit. I've talked to people at 15 and no one wants to be around you because you're a loose cannon. You're stuck in your own little world and you refuse to stop and look around you."

"I'm sorry." Sam shrugs.

"Don't you _dare_ say those words unless you damn well mean them. I punched you once, and I'll do it again." He unconsciously fingers the cut above his lip. "God knows I still love you Sam, but I can't find a single piece of the man I fell in love with. I don't know why you haven't come to Oliver, or Frank, or Noelle, or Zoe… God, you could've come to _me_. But for some stupid asinine reason, you think you have to deal with this alone. We're here for you Sam, but since you refuse to come to any of us, I'm coming to you." She sits down on the couch and looks up at him.

"I'm fine," Sam says.

"Stop pretending!" Andy stands up as she talks. "Everyone in this entire universe thinks that they need to _pretend_ to be happy and _pretend_ to be okay, because they don't want to worry anybody or they don't want the questions. Enough! Look at these pictures, Sam." Andy points to the row of photos that run along the mantle and wall.

"People see a camera, and they smile. They could be close to tears or about to beat someone up, but it doesn't matter, because a camera is pointed at them, and they have to seem happy. I know for a fact you weren't happy in this one, because I'm the one that took it." She points at a photo taken of him at the 15 division cookout. "But you're smiling. I'm sick of faking it, Sam. I'm sick of pretending. I'm sick of _watching_ you pretend. I'm not happy, Sam. My job makes me happy, but the minute I come home to my empty apartment, it reminds me why its _work_ that has to make me happy." She sits back down on the couch. They are both silent.

"Go get us glasses of water or juice, and bring them back here. Don't think you can lock yourself in your room or hop in the shower, because I still have a set of keys to these doors, and you _know_ I will come in after you. Oh, and I took the distributor cap from your truck, so that's not really an option, either." She smirks at him as he sends her an evil look.

Sam turns around and walks into the kitchen, opens the fridge and grabs the Orange Juice that he knows McNally likes. He pours two glasses and puts the carton back in the fridge. He walks into his living room and sets Andy's glass on the coffee table in front of her. He plops down on a recliner angled towards the couch and looks at Andy.

"Talk." She prods him.

"About what?"

"Anything Sam, I don't care. Talk about how much you miss Jerry or talk about how you're doing after the breakup. Tell me about your sister, or tell me your worst memories from high school. Talk about Sunday's football game, talk about Nascar for all I care. Just start talking. Get used to it again so you can join the land of the considerate living instead of being a rude introvert. " She sits with her legs folded underneath her, and her hands and arms gesturing wildly. Sam had forgotten how animated she can be and it brings the smallest grin to his face.

"Why are you grinning?" She grins back at him.

"I forgot how animated you are sometimes." He says.

"And I'd forgotten how you used to smile." She looks pointedly at him.

"Look, I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to be the guy who sits down and pours out all his feelings."

"Okay, Give me your keys." She holds her hand out to him.

"What?"

"Give me your keys."

He gets up from his chair and walks to the hook on the wall in the entryway.

"Stay here." She takes the keys from his hand, and walks out of the room and makes her way up the stairs. Sam sits back down and drinks his orange juice while he waits for Andy to reappear.

"Put these on."Andy comes back in and tosses a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt on Sam's lap. "I'll be waiting in your truck."

"I thought you took off the distributor cap!" Sam calls at her retreating form.

"I lied!"

* * *

"What are we doing here?" Sam asks when she pulls up outside of 15.

"Pouring out our feelings." She says quietly as she gets out of the truck and walks into 15. The stares they get as they walk through the doors fail to escape Sam's notice.

"Stay here," She leaves him standing in the bullpen as she goes up to Frank's office. She comes out a few minutes later, and pulls him down the hallway. He watches her unlock a door with the set of keys Frank gave her and he finds himself in the rookie's training gym.

"The rookie's just got cut loose, so for a couple weeks they'll be reveling in the officer's gym before they realize this one is less crowded and has better equipment. And they'll get annoyed with having to go to a separate gun range, when this one has 3 stalls tacked right on it." Andy explains. "But for now, it's ours."

She unlocks the gun cabinet and pulls out two 9mm handguns. She hands one to Sam and then passes him a magazine, and instead of loading his gun, he watches her as she checks her own clip and pulls back the slide, and he's shocked by how much she's changed. She holds her gun with confidence and checks her clip with the eye of an expert marksman. She raises the table in the stall and shoots at the paper target, hitting inside the 10 zone with every round. She steps back and lowers the table, and turns towards him after she lays her gun down.

"You gonna go or are you gonna wait 10 years?" She asks. "Shoot. Just let your emotions out with the bullets. No talking, no pouring out feelings. Just shoot."

He slides the magazine in and revels in the click that resounds from the handle when it's locked in place. He steps up towards the table, and without stopping to lift it up, he fires his entire magazine into the paper target. Neither of them say anything when they see the scattered bullet holes marring every zone, because today isn't about aim, it's about doing damage. She hands him another magazine, and then another, and another, and watches him relentlessly blow holes in the paper. Another magazine later and he sets his gun down and stares at what's left of the target and lets out a small chuckle.

"That felt good." He smiles at Andy. "Really good."

"Doesn't it though?" Andy smiles back. "It's the best kind of anger management."

She hands him one more magazine, and slides her own in.

"Let's see if your aim is still there." She challenges.

"Oh, it is." She grins when she see's the cocky, self-assured Sam appear for the first time in a long time. So naturally, she tries to keep it going.

"Then prove it, Old Man." She teases.

"You wanna repeat that, McNally?" He challenges.

"You heard me." She retorts.

And so it goes. She challenges, he retorts, she provokes, he takes her on. The McSwarek banter that made the pair famous inside the walls of 15 division makes a comeback, and they fail to notice a certain Frank Best and Noelle Williams standing in the doorway with smiles on their faces. Andy catches them out of the corner of her eye and sends a thumbs-up signal towards them behind her back, and Sam is none the wiser.

"Are we gonna do this, Sam? A little less talk, a little more action."

"Alright, McNally." He squares up to the target and she does the same.

"One" She starts.

"Two…" He continues.

"Three!" She finishes the countdown and they both unleash their rounds.

A volley of bullets and 16 holes in two paper targets later, they both peel off their goggles and wait for the track to bring their targets to them. They unclip them and hold them over to each other.

"I totally won," Andy says.

"You did not! I hit dead center here," He points to a hole in the middle of the 10 zone.

"Yes, but what were you aiming for here, his ear?" She snorts. "Mine are all clustered in the middle, and yours… let's just say you need a little practice."

"Whatever, McNally, I'm not letting you win next time."

"Ha!" She laughs in reply. She looks down at her watch. "Shoot!"

She runs to her bag and pulls out a pair of jeans and a shirt for Sam.

"Put the guns away, and put these on." She pushes her gun and the clothes into his hands. "I'm gonna return Frank's keys and change in the locker room. Meet me at the truck."

"Where are we going?" Sam is the slightest bit confused.

"You'll see!" Andy yells towards him as she walks out the door.

They both get into the truck and Andy has an unreadable expression on her face. Sam tries to ignore it, but a few minutes into the drive, his curiosity gets the best of him.

"What are you worried about?" He asks.

"When we get to where we're going, you have to promise not to over-react." She starts. "It won't be easy, and it'll be awkward at first, but you need it. You need to face it."

Sam doesn't know what the heck she's talking about. But she turns onto an all too familiar street, and then stops in front of a house he hoped he'd never have to face again.

"Andy, I can't go in there."

* * *

Review!


	8. Chapter 8

**Please excuse my language…. But I'm MIND FUCKING BLOWN! A part of me is really happy that the writers went off the beaten path, and I'm really happy with how they did it…. But another part of me is just PISSED that we have to wait until next JUNE to find out what happens next…. Arrrgggghhhh. Needless to say, that is my favorite episode of Rookie Blue ever. I can't wait till next season :)**

* * *

Sam looks between Andy and the house with panic in his eyes. He clenches the door handle so hard his knuckle are white.

"I know you think you can't, but you have to." Andy puts her hand on his shoulder. "Look at me."

"You have to stop hiding."

"But…"

"No. This has to stop. I saw Sam in the training room today. _My_ Sam. For the first time since he died, you were happy. You were laughing and smiling and joking… for awhile I didn't think I'd ever see that again. But today you made me forget that that Sam ever left. You deserve to be happy, and we deserve our friend back." She looks him in the eye.

"You once told me to stop over-thinking it, and just trust my instincts." Andy reasons. "So stop over-thinking it. Everyone in there understands. Okay? They just want the real Sam Swarek back. They don't care where he went while he was gone; all they care about is that he be here right now."

"Who all is in there?" Sam sighs.

"Dov, Chris, Nick, Gail, Luke, Traci, Oliver, of course." Andy rattles off the names. "A few other D's, his parents and brother, Frank and Noelle."

"How long did you guys have this planned out?"

Andy snorts. "That's the best part. We pulled this together in the last 5 hours. My team cooked the food, since we got the rest of the day off for the shootings. And the people from 15 finished their shift and got decorations, and Traci invited his parents and brother…. It wouldn't have happened, but I went to see Oliver today, and he told me about Jerry's birthday, so we got the balls rolling."

"It's a good thing… Keeps anyone from forgetting." Sam says quietly.

"No one will ever forget. Gail and I made sure of that. We went and talked to the higher ups about getting Jerry a commendation, and not only did we get that… The chief agreed to establish a wall at city hall in honor of Jerry. A star will be placed on that wall for every fallen officer that worked for the Toronto PD."

"You guys really did that?" Sam swipes a rogue tear from the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, we did. Gail and I will be presenting the commendation to Traci tonight. No one knows about the wall yet."

"I'm sorry for what I said to you, by the ambulance today. I know you're a good cop. I didn't really realize how good until today."

"It's behind us, Sam. So let's keep moving forward." She opens the door and steps down onto the street. She walks around the hood of the truck towards the walkway to Oliver's front door, and waves her hand towards herself when Sam lags behind.

"Let's go! We're already late!"

Sam stared up at the house with a tinge of apprehension.

"You need this, Sam." Andy says.

"I know." He says, "That doesn't make it any less intimidating."

Sam doesn't know what to expect when they walk in the door. His worst fears are realized when everyone looks over at him with foreign expressions on their faces, but a shout resounds through the room, breaking everyone out of their funk, and he's greeted with a room of smiles. Oliver weaves through the people and stops in front of Sam.

"It's, uh, good to see you Oliver."

"Good?! All I get is a lousy 'good'? Well fine then, Sam, I won't tell you how great it is to see you."

"Okay, Oliver. It is really really great seeing you again." Sam feels his worry falling off him in waves, and a smile graces his features.

"Ditto, brother." Oliver smiles and sticks out his hand, which Sam shakes readily, before they pull each other in for a hug. Oliver pulls away as a sudden thought dawns on him, and he shifts his focus to Andy.

"And you! McNally, I didn't think you could do it… teaches me about doubting you, huh." He wraps his arms around her tight, and rocks her back and forth. "He's really back."

"Oliver, I know you're excited, but _ouch_."

"Oh! Sorry! I forgot you got shot 6 hours ago."

"How many coffees did you drink today? You're acting like a 12 year old with a sugar rush."

"Shush." Oliver grabs Sam's arm and drag's him over to start reacquainting himself with the people of 15, and Andy watches on with a grin on her face. Traci, Nick, Gail, Chris, and Dov walk over towards her with worry in their eyes, and she remembers that she forgot to tell them about the shooting.

"I'm fine guys, I promise." She says with a reassuring smile. "But I definitely hold the crown of best bruise. I thought last time was bad, but this one makes it looks like chump change."

"Can we see it?" Dov asks. Traci smacks the back of his head.

"You're sure you're okay?" Traci asks.

"Yes, Traci, I'm good. The paramedics checked me out and taped my ribs. I'm good to go." Andy gives her friend a hug. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay. It was hard at first, when his parent's got here, but it's a lot better than I thought it would be."

"Well, me and Gail have a surprise. Go sit down." Andy smiles and ushers her away.

"What's going on?" Chris asks.

"You'll see." Gail says.

Gail grabs the attention of the room and she and Andy walk front and center.

"Today, as you all know," Andy begins. "Is the birthday of Jerry Barber. A world class detective, and an even better friend and fiancé."

"2 months ago, Jerry gave the ultimate sacrifice when he gave his life to help a friend. His death tore apart a division, and for a long time, a lot of us wondered if things would ever be the same." Andy continues. "It will never be exactly the same. He'll always be missing from our hearts… but never from our thoughts. What makes 15 Division so special, even after Oliver and I have left, is it's ability to create a new normal, without forgetting the way it used to be, but stepping forward and starting a new chapter. Jerry Barber's chapter has ended, but a bookmark with forever keep his place."

"After long discussions with the Police Chief and his administrative board," Gail starts. "I hold in my hand a personal letter from the Chief of Police." She opens the letter.

_To the Family and Friends of Detective Jerry Barber,_

_The police force is a tricky thing. _

_It's full of good hearted people who dedicate their lives to helping others and bringing justice. And despite the rude comments, ungrateful attitudes from civilians, and the blatant inhumanities that we are forced to face, some take that dedication to an entirely different level. _

_When a cop gives his life in the line of duty, it isn't just his friends and his station that mourn the loss. It's every police officer in the city, regardless of what division they're from. It makes every one of us go home and hug our families a little tighter. We pour a shot of Bourbon and thank God we got to see another day, and we raise our glass to our fallen comrade. That's what the police force is. Just a group of men and women doing everything they can to protect their city. Their family. Their friends._

_From what I've heard of Jerry Barber, I know he was one of those people. And I immensely wish I could have met him personally. But maybe someday I will. _

_Because he lives on in every one of you._

_I've heard a lot about your division and your friend while the actions that are about to be revealed were discussed. You are a dedicated bunch that stop at nothing to do good and fight for what's right, and if I were to give you just one piece of advice, it would be to never give that up. Because that is what makes you all great. _

_Jerry is only dead in the physical sense. His dedication, his humor, his attitude, his views on how precious life is, you all carry those with you. And in memoriam of your great friend, I am honored to present to his fiancé, Traci Nash, a Medal of Honor, and a Medal of Valor, Posthumously awarded to Jerry Barber. _

Andy took two rectangular black boxes out of her purse and opened the lids on each.

"The Medal of Valor." Andy says. "Awarded as a result of the personal bravery intelligently performed in the line of duty at imminent personal hazard to life under circumstances evincing a disregard of personal consequences shown by Jerry Barber."

"And the Medal of Honor. The highest medal given by the Toronto Police Department, as recognition for individual acts of extraordinary bravery performed in the line of duty at extreme risk and danger to life."

She walks over to Traci who's staring at the boxes with tears in her eyes. Jerry's parents look at the boxes with a mix of pride and gratitude. Traci takes them from Andy's hand and after staring at them for a moment, she sets them on the table behind her. She stands and wraps her arms around Andy.

"Thank you so much," she whispers. "I don't even have words for you two."

"You don't need any." Andy replies. Traci gives Gail a hug as well, but after she walks back to her seat, Andy and Gail resume their positions at the front.

"Now, we left out a part of the letter, because we wanted to tell you ourselves." Andy grins at Gail. "We fought hard for this. It was rejected twice, but we regrouped, and when we came back, the vote was unanimous. Projects like these usually take months to get approved, but with some pressure from the Superintendent, we were able to get it streamlined."

"If any of you have been at city hall over the last two weeks, you'll have noticed the portion of the entryway blocked of due to construction... A gigantic pain in the butt that was our doing. That's what Peck's do best if you haven't noticed." Gail smiles.

"But after initial rejection. That site is now the location of a Wall of Honor. For every fallen officer from the Toronto PD, a star will be added with the name of the deceased. The wall reads "The Wall of Honor- So we never forget the sacrifices made for this city. In memory of Detective Jerry Barber.""

The room erupts into applause, and the rest of the night is spent inspecting the medals and reading the Chief's letter. Everyone speaks to Andy and Gail to thank them for what they did. They all grab a beer and start telling their favorite stories about Jerry, while Dov convinces Andy to show off her bruise. It garners a "Sweet!" from Dov, and a "That's what you call _fine_?!" from Traci.

Andy and Luke break the news that the task force is being relocated to 15 division, so she'll be around her friends again, and Oliver announces that he is resigning his white shirt position as well. Needless to say, both announcements are met with a cheer.

All of Sam's broken relationships from the last two months are mended as he tells everyone about Jerry's antics in the academy, he drinks, and he laughs, and for the first time since he tuned out of everything, he's truly happy. Oliver and Andy wink at each other as they look on, a message between two friends that says 'You know, everything's gonna be okay.'

* * *

**Well, I've decided to tack on one more chapter, and then it will really be done.** **It's just going to be an epilogue, but hopefully it'll be a good one :)**

**I won't be able to get the epilogue up until next week sometime, because I fly out to Colorado tomorrow afternoon.  
**

**I want to take a second and thank every one of you for you reviews, and favorite, and follows, and your kind words. They've given me a confidence in my writing that I never had before. The first time I wrote a story, I took it down after one flame review. This time, I got a good few of them, and they didn't matter because I knew I had to keep writing for the people that truly loved this story. So thank you. So much. It's taken my writing to a whole new level.  
**

**Have a good weekend, everyone. :)  
**


	9. Epilogue

**Well, I flew out to Colorado on Saturday to surprise my older sister at her baby shower on Sunday. It was a rather intricate plan. :) **

**She got married last summer, and moved from Rock Springs, Wyoming to Rifle, Colorado. We go on about 1 vacation every year or so, and we always book flights through Orbitz, so we get weekly emails about special prices from our nearest major airports to various places around the country, and we got offered a ticket to Denver at an amazing price. So we bought the ticket, and I flew from the Eastern Iowa Airport to Denver. By the way, if you haven't been to the Denver Airport, you need to fly through there. I had a KFC, Pizza Hut, Caribou Coffee, McDonald's, and a Ben & Jerry's (A Ben & freaking Jerry's!) JUST in my terminal. (The 'A' Concourse)**

**After I landed in Denver, I took the Colorado Mountain Express to Vail, CO, where the wonderful friend of my sister's, the one who volunteered to throw the baby shower, picked me up and let me stay at her house for the night. The next morning we finished the decorations, and when my sister arrived, I hid in a room off the living room and waited for "the signal" Needless to say; my sister had NO IDEA, and was brought to tears when I stepped out. My sister and I are the type of people that can walk into a room of strangers and come out with a room of friends, and I'm "that one person" in our family who can make anyone laugh, no matter what the situation, so the two of us together in the same room creates a pretty funny day.**

**To make things better, I sprung the surprise on my brother-in-law when he got home from work. My sister and I had come up with a plan for that, but we didn't think everything through. She told him he had to call me, because I "had to talk to him about something urgent"…. But he came home and started talking about his day, and would. Not. Call. **

**So I called him. And when I came up the stairs while talking to him, he was in his underwear. He's REALLY part of the family now…. :D**

**So I came home on Tuesday, and although I love Colorado, I missed my friends, and was glad to be home. My sister had her baby the day after I left… **

**They're both doing well, and I already have plans to make sure I'm my niece's favorite Aunt :). Her name is Autumn Dawn (I know, it's weird… I had nothing to do with it.) and she weighed in at 5lbs, 7oz. **

**But enough on my adventures this week. I started getting moving on this Epilogue on Thursday, because I realized Rookie Blue wouldn't be on… It was a little depressing…**

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

If you've ever been in marching band, you know how hard it is to form straight lines.

They seem like something you should be able to do as a 2nd grader. They don't take thought. You just stand in line with the next person. But there are always those people who don't know what "in line" is, and they stick out like sore thumbs. Even with practice, there is always one person that is too stupid to let anything sink in, and they continue to stand behind the line, because they think they need to see everyone, not just the people beside them.

But today, even though they were doing it on the fly, the line fell into place like it had been practiced a thousand times. Like all the ignorant idiots had been tossed out of the formation. It was a day that had to be perfect.

No one would allow it to be anything else.

The civilians in attendance saw a sea of blue that was honoring it's friend in a way that brought tears to their eyes.

But the Officers and Detectives walking through the looming double doors were just trying to see through their tears long enough to say goodbye in a manner befitting Jerry Barber.

They woke up that morning, and pulled their dress blues out of the plastic dry cleaner's bag. They ignored the itchy fabric and the way the dark blue tie pulled at their throats. Every one of them stood in front of their mirrors and adjusted their name tags and pulled on a pair of rarely worn white gloves. They pulled their covers over their heads and took a deep breath as they judged their appearances, realizing that no matter how they looked, they'd never be ready for the duty that lay ahead of them.

A line of officers and detectives alike, all from 15 Division, drove their squad cars with lights blazing and sirens blaring as they made their way towards police headquarters. They parked on the street in front of the intimidating building. They walk in the front doors in a straight line, looking straight ahead, not pausing at the camera flashes from the media providing news coverage.

They walk down the aisle between the chairs set up for the dedication ceremony, making their way towards the front rows. They remain standing until everyone is in their place, and despite the fact there are 30 different men and women standing at attention, they raise their arms towards their foreheads as one.

In many ways they are one. They are one division, one police force… whether they work as a detective or traffic cop, they all belong to one brotherhood. A brotherhood that today is paying homage to the easy-going and witty detective that, in the end, gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Gail, Andy, Sam, Oliver, and Traci are front and center, not sitting or saluting like the rest of the officers in blue behind them. Instead, they're holding a flag. A flag that is to be hung on the left side of the memorial. Andy and Traci fold the flag, and hand it off to Oliver and Sam, who proceed to hang it on the hooks mounted in the wall. Meanwhile, Andy steps up to the podium.

"No one in this room knew Jerry Barber better than the cops seated here today." She starts.

"Every single day, he would grace us with his humor, and his practical jokes. We'd laugh at his terrible poker skills, and the struggles he had with any and all new phones he got. He laughed at his mistakes and embraced his flaws, but when it all came down to solving cases, there was no one better." She looks around the room.

"Jerry and I weren't particularly close… We were friends, but we never really considered each other as confidants until later on. We kind of found ourselves at the same places a lot, since my partner was his best friend and my best friend was his fiancé, he asked me for advice with Traci, and I asked him advice about… my boyfriend at the time. All rambling aside, although we weren't the best of friends, I knew him well enough, and respected him more than words could ever describe."

"His death threatened to tear apart 15 division. A few of us left, myself included, and a few of us just closed ourselves off. We all realized how much we took for granted, and how easily we could all get hurt. They say when a tragedy occurs, it either makes people closer than they were before or breaks them apart, but until you experience it firsthand, you don't have a clue how true that is."

"I was ignorant to what was happening at 15 Division, due to my taking a job with an elite task force. It kind of consumed all my time, so I didn't have time to think about the people I cared about. But I went to dinner with Gail Peck, and we came up with an idea to help bring 15 Division back together. It took a lot of time, and quite a few meetings, and let me tell you, those persuasive speech lessons from high school really do pay off." She smiles.

"And here we are today. Civilians and police officers together, honoring a hero. Without further adieu, I present to you the Jerry Barber Fallen Heroes Memorial Wall." Gail stands unnoticed in the corner until she pulls the large white sheet covering the wall. She yanks it down, and behind the cascading white fabric, the Memorial shows itself in it's gleaming new sheen. A slew of cameras flash as it's uncovered.

"For every officer of the Toronto Police Department that gives his or her life in the line of duty, a star will be placed on this wall in their memory. It will be a place where the family and friends of that officer can come and pay their respects. A place where they can leave pictures showing what kind of person that officer was. It will serve as a reminder, so that we never forget the cost of keeping this city safe. Thank You." Andy concludes and walks down from the podium. The company of officers rise as she walks towards them. She takes her spot next to Sam, and together, as one unit once again, they raise their hands to their foreheads.

"Serve and Protect!" A chorus of men and women together sound the police motto that they all hold dearly in their hearts.

* * *

After the service, the men and women of 15 return to their Division, and slip on their patrol uniforms or suits. Parade is a quiet and serious affair, a far cry from the outspoken officers and wisecracks that used to fill the room. Andy and Oliver are the last to arrive, and they see a glimpse of the old 15 reemerging when the cat calls and whistles erupt in the midst of the applause. Andy watches Sam as Frank introduces her and Luke's team to the rest of the room, and as he welcomes back Oliver and Andy. The words Frank is speaking become a jumbled mess as Andy loses focus, but a loud sneeze brings her attention back to the front.

"Your partners are listed on the board, try and take it easy today." Frank suggests.

Andy smirks as Sam walks out the door without checking the board, accustomed to riding alone. Oliver chuckles when he sees the reason for the grin, and walks out the door with his rookie, shaking his head a little. When he walks past her, he pats her on the back.

Andy grabs a quick cup of coffee and follows Sam towards his squad. He is just starting the engine when she opens the passenger door and gets in. She buckles her seat belt and blows on her coffee trying to cool it down, like she did nearly every other time they rode together. Sam looks at her with an incredulous expression on his face.

"What are you doing?" He stammers.

"Drinking my coffee…" She trails off.

"No, I mean, why are you in my squad?"

"Oh! Well, it's gonna take a few days to get the task force transferred and operational, so I'm doing patrol for a week or so. Frank approved it."

"But why in my squad? I'm supposed to ride alone permanently."

"I requested you be my partner. But if you want me to go…" Andy reaches down to undo her seatbelt, until a hand stops her arm.

"No, it's fine… But after everything I did and said to you, why do you want to ride with me?"

"Because _in spite_ of everything you said, and _in spite_ of you dumping me in an alley, and _in spite_ of you leaving me standing in the rain… I'm still hopelessly and irrevocably in love with you."

Sam just stares.

"It's not gonna happen overnight. I have too many trust issues for that, and you're still not totally yourself. You're getting there though, and I'm gonna have to deal with them someday, but right now, I just want to start."

"We've already started."

"No, we never started. We jumped into the middle of our story, not bothering with the beginning, because we didn't realize that the beginning is the most important part." She smiles at him.

"We're gonna go out for drinks, and then we'll go to dinner. We'll spend a day off at a zoo or adventure park, where we're gonna get to know one another. Then we can buy a dog and name it Boo."

"How did you know I want a dog named Boo?" Sam chuckles a little.

"Jerry. And then confirmed by Oliver." She grins.

"Getting Ollie to give you all the dirt now, I see."

"Yep."

"Then, umm, drinks tonight? At the Penny?" He asks.

"I'll be there." She confirms.

"7?" He offers.

"Sure." Andy says. "You gonna drive anytime soon?"

"Um, yeah." Sam puts the car in gear and drives through the iron gates.

They cruise around the city for a few minutes when Sam looks over at Andy while they're stopped at a red light.

"Andy?" Sam takes her hand and hold it in his.

"Yeah?" She looks down at their intertwined fingers.

"For the record, I'm still totally and irrevocably in love with you too." They look at each other with smiles on their faces, and their hands stay together as they drive away.

* * *

**Oh. My. Monkey Balls. I just finished a story. Mark this day on your calendar, folks! **

**But I am a little sad this is over. This is by far the best story I've written, and it shows in the response to the very first chapter that continued until this epilogue. I can't thank you guys enough. Every single person that reviewed, or favorited, or followed, or even just read, deserves a cookie. But I'm a bad baker…**

**Anyway, thank you EVERYONE! I'll be laying low in the RB fandom for a while, but I will be reading and reviewing all your fantastic stories, and if I'm hit with sudden inspiration for a story at a random time, you'll see me again. Meanwhile, I'll be re-watching all the seasons of Rookie Blue, and waiting for Hawaii Five-0 and Haven and Blue Bloods to premiere later this month, so until then, Glee will just have to keep me occupied. Along with the finales of White Collar and Covert Affairs next week :(**

**Catch you later!**

**Becca**


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